We’re in for another wintery week, and there's so much to be getting up to.
2024 is already well underway now, and while many see January as a month of rest and relaxation following the hustle and bustle of the festive season, Leeds' social calendar still has a wide range of events and activities you can be getting up to over the next couple of weeks.
Take a look at our top picks for the week.
Oliver! At Leeds Playhouse
Until 27 January 2024 | Leeds Playhouse, Quarry Hill
Image: The Hoot Leeds
The sensational musical Oliver! is wowing the Leeds Playhouse with its take on the original musical by Lionel Bart. The musical is in the round stage and helps cultivate a breathtaking performance for all ages that will leave you singing along.
Boozy Brushes, Landscape Paint Party at Canal Club
Thursday 11 January 2024 | Canal Club
A fun light-hearted class taught by a professional artist that values not just skill, but artistry too. With fun, sing your heart out music in the back to help create the atmosphere that will let you socialise and be inspired whilst drinking.
Tuesday16 – Saturday 20 January 2024 | Leeds Grand Theatre
Image: Pamela Raith Photography
Inspired by The Play That Goes Wrong, and the BBC TVv show, The Goes Wrong Show this show is cultivated into a hilarious comedy that will leave you laughing throughout. It’s a performance of chaos and technical mishaps, leaving you with the question: What more could go wrong?
Leeds’ grooviest ramen bar House of Fu are coming in hot with their January deals, and if you’re looking to slurp some seriously good noodles then this is the spot for you. From 11:30am - 3pm on weekdays, you can get involved in the ‘Fu Express Lunch’ and chow down on any ramen or rice bowl for just a tenner… what a bargain.
50% off lunches at The Olive Tree
Monday 15 – Friday 19 January 2024 | 8 South Parade
Image: The Hoot Leeds
This Mediterranean gem is offering 50% off the lunch menu, perfect for a meal with friends. With a variety of choices from their A La Carte menu there’s foodie options aplenty for any palette; with the likes of pork gyros, mushroom calamari, beef stifado and more.
Vue Cinemas across the UK are screening loads of beloved comedy films to make people smile on ‘Blue Monday’.
The cinema says it’s aiming to “spread some joy and laughter” by bringing back some of the nation’s favourite comedies and feel-good musicals and sticking them up on the big screen to help alleviate those so-called January blues. This means that, each week for the next four weeks, you can catch iconic flicks such as Mrs Doubtfire, The Devil Wears Prada, Mamma Mia!, and more.
In honour of National Chocolate Week, two big brands are joining forces.
Fancy a freebie? Silly question, of course you do.
Tony’s Chocolonely and Yorkshire Tea have joined forces for National Chocolate Week to ask Brits to declare themselves a ‘Melt’...yes, really.
It comes after the brands discovering a new Gen Z dunking trend, with research finding that 80% of 18–24-year-olds say chocolate is their preferred tea-dunking treat.
To understand why the perculiar pairing has become so popular, the brands recruited Associate Professor of Psychobiology, Dr Lorenzo Stafford, to investigate what happens when tea and chocolate come together.
Associate Professor, Dr Lorenzo Stafford said: "It's fascinating to see how much thought Brits put into what makes a great dunk. Flavour, texture and temperature all shape how we experience food, and the combination of hot tea with melting chocolate creates a particularly enjoyable sensory experience.
"When it comes to dunking, tea and chocolate have great chemistry so it’s no surprise young people have embraced it."
If you want to try it out for yourself, then you can for free - but there is one catch.
From Monday 19 to Friday 23 October, anyone who walks into one of Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds and says ‘I'm a Melt’ will get a free mug of Yorkshire Tea and bar of Tony's Chocolonely.
Not only that, but the first 100 customers will also get a limited-edition ‘Melt’ cap.
Yorkshire Tea & Tony’s Chocolonely said of the partnership, “Brits love their tea and their chocolate and now the science shows why. This National Chocolate Week, we’re inviting everyone to give it a go, embrace their inner Melt and discover just how well chunky chocolate and a proper brew can work together.”
Leeds Bradford Airport strikes will NOT go ahead following ‘late offer’ over pay
Clementine Hall
This weekend's strikes at Leeds Bradford Airport have been cancelled.
Around 130 workers were set to walk out this weekend, Unite said, but this has been suspended to allow air traffic controllers to consider a new pay offer.
The Unite members planning on to go on strike were a mixture of air traffic control workers, customer experience staff, security staff and cleaners.
The workers involved in the dispute had recently come out of a four-year pay deal, with some of the departments having fallen behind other airports in equivalent roles.
Pay talks have been happening since December 2025, with the airport's formal offer not going far enough to address the lack of pay parity which led to the decision to strike.
However, as of yesterday 15 October, the workers have been given new pay offers from the airport and the strikes will not take place to allow a ballot on the offers.
Air traffic controllers and hourly paid staff are being balloted separately on their respective offers.
Unite regional officer Neil Whitaker said: "After receiving offers from Leeds Bradford Airport, we have suspended this week’s strike action in good faith to allow members to vote on pay deals.”
In a statement, Leeds Bradford Airport said: "While the ballot process continues with certain members of our frontline colleagues, we remain hopeful that a positive outcome can be achieved and that an agreement can be reached which works for everyone involved.
"Regardless of the outcome of this ballot, LBA has a robust contingency plan in place and will be operating as normal this weekend.
"Our focus remains on supporting a smooth and reliable experience for customers while maintaining safe and efficient airport operations."
Clementine Hall -
15th January 2024 
